#druzes

Israel is up to its old ’divide and rule’ tricks. Syria’s Druze must resist them
Wesam Sharaf | 20 December 2024 16:03 GMT | | Middle East Eye

Israel sees Assad’s fall as a chance to revive the idea of a Druze state, stoke sectarianism in Syria and seize more land. If Syria stands united, these plans are doomed to fail

▻https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-divide-rule-tricks-syria-druze-resist-them

While a new era of hope may be unfolding in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship, bringing long-waited aspirations for democracy, the forgotten and marginalised area of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is creating worrying uncertainty.

Israel further expanded its occupation in the area by seizing the 235 sq km demilitarised buffer zone, agreed upon in the 1974 ceasefire agreement following the October 1973 war.

Israeli offensives in the area marked another breach of international laws and treaties, and led to much speculation around the future of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

By default, these events put the Druze residents of the area in particular, and Syrian Druze in general, in the spotlight once again.

On 9 December, a day after Assad fled, while millions of Syrians took to the streets to celebrate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from the 1974 ceasefire borders separating the Occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria, addressed directly the Druze of Syria. “Sending first and foremost a hand of peace to our brothers, the Druze of Syria, that are brothers of our Israeli Druze brothers," he said. (...)

#IsraelSyrie #Druzes

Israeli MK : IDF helping #al-Qaida in Syria at expense of Druse
▻http://m.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israeli-MK-IDF-helping-al-Qaida-in-Syria-at-expense-of-Druse-467518

Kulanu MK Akram Hasson issued a harsh rebuke of the IDF on Monday, saying that not only is the army not helping the Druse population caught up in Syria’s civil war, it is cooperating with the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate.

Hasson’s comments in an interview with Channel 2 came amid fierce battles in recent days near the Druse village of Khader in the Syrian #Golan Heights.

Hasson accused #Israel of being responsible for harm being caused to the Druse population of the Syrian Golan. “The IDF is shelling Syrian army positions, which is enabling the Nusra Front to seize Druse land.”

The Kulanu MK further charged that “it is no secret that the IDF is cooperating with [the Nusra Front]. In the past they have told us that the Nusra Front coordinates with the IDF. We don’t know? What, were we born yesterday?”

Hasson claimed that under former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon there was an agreement in place by which it was understood that nobody would enter the Druse village, and in exchange the local Druse would not interfere with the fighting in the area.

“Today, after they took control of the most strategic positions and after the Syrian army left the area, they blocked the access road to Damascus, and isolated Khader from the rest of Syria, and they are slaughtering people,” he added.

Hasson’s comments came a day after some 200 Israeli Druse held a demonstration in Majd al-Shams, calling on Israel to help their Syrian brethren.

The village of Khader, which is right across from Majd al-Shams, on the other side of Mount Hermon, is home to some 25,000 Druse.

The Nusra Front has sought to control Khader for some time in order to gain control of the entire Golan Heights. The al-Qaida-linked fighters number several hundred men as well as dozens of tanks that they have seized.

During fierce fighting near Khader last year, and fear for the Druse community, the IDF sent messages to the Nusra Front through the Free Syrian Army, warning the Islamist group not to harm Syria’s Druse.

#druzes

Druze Kill Syrian Troops After Bombings Kill Dozens, Including Top Cleric — News from Antiwar.com
▻http://news.antiwar.com/2015/09/06/druze-kill-syrian-troops-after-bombings-kill-dozens-including-top-cler

http://news.antiwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/syria18.gif

Throughout the Syrian Civil War, there had been relative calm in the al-Suwayda Province, the primary home of the nation’s Druze minority. The Druze are largely seen as pro-government, and elsewhere in the country have been attacked by rebels as a consequence.

Suwayda is exploding in the past few days, however, after Friday saw a pair of car bombings killing 33 Druze civilians, including top religious leader Sheikh Wahid al-Balous. There was no claim of responsibility, but Balous was an outspoken opponent of the government, and had urged Druze to stop joining the military, which led to suspicion that he was killed by government forces.

Unrest is growing province-wide, and six Syrian troops were killed by Druze militant attacks late Saturday. Groups of Balous supporters have burned cars in front of many government offices in the area, and destroyed a statue of President Assad’s father in the main city.

An outright revolt against the government is bad news for the government, but may also be dangerous for the Druze, as they have few natural allies in the ever-splintering nation, and have regularly been targeted by Islamist rebel factions. There were unconfirmed reports that Balous was trying to forge ties with the rebel FSA, but their power is limited to a few small districts, and probably can’t offer the Druze much in the way of protection.

#Druzes #Syrie

Vu ce soir, très beau #film :
La #Fiancée_syrienne

Le film se déroule sur une journée de juin 2000, celle de l’accession au pouvoir du président syrien #Bachar_el-Assad, mais surtout celle du mariage d’une jeune femme de la communauté druze du #Golan (territoire syrien annexé par Israël) qui doit dire adieu aux siens parce qu’elle part épouser un Syrien de Damas. La Syrie et Israël étant en conflit, elle ne pourra plus traverser la frontière une fois passée la zone tampon contrôlée par les soldats de l’ONU.

Le mariage est célébré, sans le marié, dans le cadre familial avec les frères et sœurs réunis pour l’occasion, puis la noce se dirige vers le poste frontière, où elle est rejointe par l’officier d’état civil israélien dépêché pour l’occasion qui régularise la situation en retirant les papiers d’identité de la mariée. Pour la volontaire de la Croix-Rouge commencent alors les allées et venues avec le poste frontière syrien et les tracasseries administratives, et pour tout le monde, l’attente.

▻http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Fianc%C3%A9e_syrienne

http://fr.web.img4.acsta.net/medias/nmedia/18/35/53/25/18403248.jpg